MILAN — Sidney Crosby’s first Olympic experience in 2010 inspired an entire generation of hockey players.
On a smaller scale, the famous golden goal he scored in overtime at 22 years old to defeat the United States and top the Vancouver podium was a magical moment in Canadian hockey history that so many of his current Canada teammates consider their earliest international memory. That applies to NHL players of other nations, as well.
Sid the Kid is boasting salt-and-pepper hair now, revealing just how many years have passed since then.
And as he prepares for the official start of his third — and possibly final — Olympic Games in Milan on Thursday, Crosby has another chance to add to his already incomparable legacy.
“I was just trying to prepare [for 2010] as best as I could, but I was trying to be open-minded too,” Crosby recalled to The Post from his locker room stall in Pittsburgh before the Games started. “I was young. I hadn’t experienced anything like that. I was getting a chance to play with guys that I grew up watching. I think I was trying to just absorb as much as I could, but also, when it came to whatever my role was going to be, be open-minded for that too. I was just really thrilled to be part of it.”
He later added: “I just wanted to win so bad.”
Gold is all Crosby has ever known on the Olympic stage, after he and Canada defeated Sweden at the last Winter Games the NHL went to, 2014 in Sochi.
The one in Vancouver naturally stands out for a multitude of reasons. For Crosby, however, that it all unfolded in his home country made it so much more special. He thinks back to watching Canada beat the U.S. at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and what it meant to him at age 14. That consideration seems to come through whenever Crosby dons the Maple Leaf, or whenever he enters his home country.
Canada feels it, too. For a decade, ex-Penguins head coach and current Team USA bench boss Mike Sullivan saw firsthand the mob scene that was the Canadian NHL cities whenever Crosby and the Penguins came through. He describes an overwhelming number of people who would hang over the barricades hoping to catch even a glimpse of No. 87.
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They often had to hold the bus. Crosby never let a single kid go without an autograph.
“He’s had a huge influence on this next generation,” Sullivan told The Post before heading to Milan. “You look at guys like [Connor] McDavid and [Nathan] MacKinnon and players like that, [Macklin] Celebrini, just how he approaches the game, the work ethic that he brings. I’ve never been around an athlete, any sport, that has the work ethic that Sid has, and what he brings to the table. He cares about his own game, but he also cares about the teams that he plays on. He cared a lot about our Penguins teams when I was there. And I know he’ll be the same way when he puts on the Canada jersey, because he doesn’t know how to do it any differently.”
Crosby’s gravitational pull in the hockey world is seismic, and it has been for a long time.
Skating around in a Canada red jersey adorned with a black Maple Leaf on Wednesday, the 38-year-old — who is the most senior NHL player in the tournament — effortlessly stands out in a lineup that includes McDavid, MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the burgeoning Celebrini.
It’s the high-end skill, but also the nostalgia he exudes.
Canada head coach Jon Cooper probably put it best: Crosby has aura, as the kids say these days.
In the midst of his 21st NHL season, Crosby is still among the top 25 point producers with 27 goals and 32 assists through 56 games for the Penguins this season. The five points (one goal, four assists) he put up through four games at 4 Nations last February were tied for the second most in the tournament.
It’s why Crosby is wearing the “C” for Canada for his fourth straight best-on-best tournament.
“Twenty years ago, I think 2005, I was on the Team Canada World Junior staff, he was the youngest player in the tournament 20 years ago,” Canada assistant coach Pete DeBoer said after practice Wednesday. “I don’t know where the time’s gone. I’ve had the opportunity, World Juniors, World Championships, Olympics now, to be around him in these settings. He always amazes me. How composed he is. The leadership, the messaging. He’s a consummate pro and a consummate leader.”
After skating next to Mitch Marner and Mark Stone in practice Wednesday, Crosby said he just wants to get going. He finally will be able to when the puck drops against Czechia at 4:40 p.m. in Milan on Thursday (10:40 a.m. EST).
Canada — the team, the management staff and the country as a whole — will want to savor it. Watching a player you know is not only a future Hall of Famer, but one of the all-time greats of the game, is rare. The Olympic stage has been deprived of his presence for too long. There’s always a new generation of players to inspire.
“It’s probably a little bit more heightened, just given it has been a bit,” Crosby said of his anticipation level for these Olympic Games. “But also because a lot of the guys just haven’t had an opportunity, just hasn’t been there. So I know they’re really excited. I think that’s fun when you see just the energy and how bad guys want it. I think that’s fun to see. And as far as the sport, I think 4 Nations did a lot. I think it was something that was huge for hockey, and hopefully the Olympics can just continue that momentum.”